EE launches 4G taxis in London and Birmingham

EE has launched a fleet of 50 4G LTE enabled taxis in both London and Birmingham.

EE has unleashed a fleet of 4G LTE enabled taxis in both London and Birmingham.

The mobile network launched the service this week in the two major UK cities allowing passengers to access 4G broadband during their journey. Cabs have been fitted with 4G Mi-Fi devices which act as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, so even if the taxi ride is slow, the internet access won't be. See: What is 4G? A complete guide to 4G.

Spencer McHugh, Director of Brand, EE said: "The first motorised black cabs hit the streets in 1901, nearly 70 years before the first smartphone was available to consumers, now we are bringing this icon of British transport into the 21st century with a 4G make-over."

The fleet of 50 taxis can now be spotted driving round the cities – 40 in London and 10 in Birmingham. They shouldn't be hard to miss since they have been given a bright green EE makeover with the message "Try superfast 4GEE for free in this cab".

"We hope this trial will demonstrate the benefits of a superior online experience as users can browse, download, catch up on emails, Tweet and check Facebook literally at the speed of light. We can’t make taxi journeys any faster but we can certainly speed up people’s smartphones!" added McHugh.

EE is still the UK's only 4G network but this will be changing soon with O2, Vodafone and more 4G networks expected to launch over the summer. See also: 4G LTE rollout schedule in the UK.